Filey to Ganton: E2 Day 70

A sunny day and a huge contrast to the recent coastal walking as I climb over the rounded hills of the Wolds.

It was one of those day when a high pressure weather system gave constant sunshine and a cloudless blue sky, the horizon blurred with haze. Such weather was also responsible for a cold night, my tent's flysheet was stiff with frost this morning. A super day to start the Yorkshire Wolds Way.

The Wolds were rounded hills, either green with grass or young crops or brown having just been ploughed. Although the soil was often more white than brown with the numerous fragments of chalk in the soil. For chalk is the underlying rock that gives the Wolds its character. Permeable so that water sinks into the ground rather than forming streams so that the valleys are "dry" with no streams or surface water. The chalk in this area must be fairly hard to be visible, scattered in the fields, further south you see only fragments of flint, harder siliceous material which form nodules in the chalk rock, rarely pieces of chalk. Nevertheless, the chalk is still too soft to form outcrops of rock but instead allowed the landscape to form gentle shapes of smooth curves. On the steeper slopes, and sometimes as a wind break, there are trees, bare of leaves at this time of year (early April). Although the fields are large, the path follows hawthorn hedges at times. 

Most of the path was straight today, periodically making right angle turns. It went straight up hills then straight down them, rather than bending into the contours. Fortunately, the tracks are not too muddy, whether because of the chalk soil, the lack of rain for a few days or the limited number of walkers. Although a National Trail, the Yorkshire Wolds Way is less popular than many others, although the people who have walked it speak well of it. Today I met no-one beyond a dog walker near Filey.

Path crossing a dry valley. 

A shame as the skylarks were belting out their songs above me and I spotted a hare chasing another around a field. I assumed it a male (maybe a mad March hare a little late) chasing a female. He evidently did not understand that "no means no". The female outpaced him and the male was forced to give up. It was only then he noticed me, and hopped off.

The only other sight of note today was an RAF radar station surrounded by a high fence and lights. I saw no radar dome only a large aerial that looked more like a mobile phone mast. 

Stopping to look at the view.

The views were good, especially later in the day across the broad valley to the north (the "Vale of Pickering"). However as I could see Scarborough in the distance it felt as if I was making little progress. 

If they had answered their phone I might have stayed at the pub in the small village of Ganton. Not receiving an answer I booked into a Bed & Breakfast at Willerby, a village a few kilometres off the Wolds Way. As I had time I walked to Ganton then turned back on myself, following the busy road in an easterly direction to Willerby. Fortunately there was a pavement or cycle path all the way, as the heavy vehicles were passing at speed.